THE HO USE SPARRO W. 1 69 



out these remarks. With the assistance and facili- 

 ties given him by the administrators of Crown 

 lands and forests, and after more than twenty years' 

 study, he succeeded in ascertaining experimentally, 

 week by week, the alimentary system of every land- 

 bird indigenous to France. By a careful examina- 

 tion of the remnants of food found in their stomachs 

 he has been able to define for each species not only 

 in what proportion they feed upon insects, but what 

 particular insects they seek out and destroy, and 

 consequently what plants they protect. A very 

 interesting series of the dried contents of the 

 stomachs was collected, and, as many will doubt- 

 less remember, the collection was exhibited in this 

 country at the International Exhibition of 1862, 



and attracted a good deal of attention. An article 



i 



in No. 555 of The Field gives the details as regards 

 twenty of the birds, including the Sparrow, and to 

 this we would direct the attention of the reader. 



The fact that when a vast number of Sparrows 

 and other small birds have been killed, the country 

 has been overrun with insects which destroyed the 

 crops, proves that had the destroyers of these birds 

 been a little more acquainted with their habits, and 



